On July 31, Google will end production of the
Google Mini enterprise search appliance and replace it with similar existing
services provided by the Google Search Appliance, Google Site Search and Google
Commerce Search, Eichner wrote. The company will "continue to provide
technical support to Mini customers for the duration of their contracts and
will reach out to them shortly with more details."

The Google Mini appliances were released to
help companies to
create a beneficial new search feature for internal use or to help a
Web-based company offer a zippier or more cutting-edge query corner for its
audience, according to an earlier eWEEK.com report. The Minis could
index 200,000 and 300,000 documents, costing $6,000 and $9,000, respectively.
The original Mini, introduced in 2005, cost $3,000 and could handle up to
100,000 documents.

Also being shelved is iGoogle, the Google
home page service that could be personalized by users to give them a unique
experience. It will
be retired Nov. 1, because it failed to build sufficient momentum with Web
users. "We originally launched iGoogle in 2005 before anyone could fully
imagine the ways that today's Web and mobile apps would put personalized,
real-time information at your fingertips," Eichner wrote. "With
modern apps that run on platforms like Chrome and Android, the need for iGoogle
has eroded over time, so well be winding it down." Google will give
existing users 16 months to adjust or export their data so they can keep it
when the service shuts down.

Another service, Google
Talk Chatback, is also being cut because it is "outdated,"
Eichner wrote in his post. The service, which "allowed Websites to embed a
Google Talk widget so that they could engage with their visitors," is now
being replaced with similar services from the Meebo bar, which was recently
acquired by Google. Meebo allows users to create a customized stream of
online content and information that matches their interests. Google will now
try to encourage Websites to replace their Google Talk Chatback widgets with
Meebo.

Google Keeping a Closer
Eye on Business Benefits

One service cut, for Google Video, isn't too
big a surprise since the service stopped allowing users to upload videos in May
2009 in preparation for changes that were to come. Now any remaining user
content that is on Google Video will
be moved to YouTube, which is now owned by Google, according to Eichner's
post. "Google Video users have until August 20 to migrate, delete or
download their content. Well then move all remaining Google Video content to
YouTube as private videos that users can access in the YouTube video
manager."

Also slated for retirement by Google is the
company's Symbian Search App, which was available for use on some Nokia mobile
phones for Web searching. "We encourage you to go to www.google.com and make it your homepage or
bookmark it," Eichner wrote. "Switching from the app to the Web
experience will enable users to make the most of the Web-wide improvements we
make for search all the time."

Last September, Google continued its spring
cleaning efforts when services, including Aardvark,
Desktop, Fast Flip and Image Labeler were dropped. The moves have been part
of Google CEO Larry Page's "more wood behind fewer arrows" bid to put
the company's focus on core products, such as search through Google.com, mobile
through Android, Chrome on the desktop and YouTube for video.

Dan Kusnetzky, principal analyst with The
Kusnetzky Group, said that the continuing service cutbacks and realignments
mark a continuing evolution at Google as a company. "Google in the past
appeared to use a strategy of letting creative people come up with new
technologies without a clear business plan for how it would make them
money," Kusnetzky said. "Things that did well became major product
lines and those that didnt were phased out. That's different from other
companies that identify the market first and then do things."

As Google continues to winnow and merge its
broad services, "they seem to be heading on a path to be much more like
Oracle or Microsoft" in terms of more closely defining their markets,
Kusnetzky said. "I think they'll look at it as though it will be
inconvenient for some customers, but not for that many customers overall"
since the services weren't as widely used as the company hoped they would be.
"And it will save them lots of money for costly services that aren't
bringing in enough money. Google is being run more today by business managers
than in the past."